Today, on occasion of the 20th death anniversary of the National Hero of Armenia MonteMelkonyan, a group of civic activists gathered in front of the presidential residence with a black banner "You betrayed Monte's blood." Picketing the president's residence for some 1.5 hour, the activists left without
explaining the goal of their action.
Monte Melkonyan born in Visalia (November 25, 1957), California and educated at Berkely, was a famed Armenian military commander in the Karabakh war. He is credited for major military victories against Azerbaijan from 1992-1993. In April 1993, Melkonian was one of the chief military strategists who planned and led the operation to capture the region of Kalbajar, which lies between the Republic of Armenia and Karabakh. Armenian forces captured the region in four days of heavy fighting, sustaining far fewer fatalities than the enemy. Monte was killed in the abandoned Azeri village of Merzuli in the early afternoon of June 12, 1993, with controversial reports about the circumstances of his death. Monte was buried with full military honors on June 19, 1993 at Yerablur military cemetery in Yerevan, Armenia. His tomb is a popular place for visitors of Armenia to come and pay their respects to the great hero.